Rating:  PG-13 for now
Disclaimer:  I don’t own any of the characters of Roswell, they belong to Jason Katims, Melinda Metz, and the show.
Summary:  A story I thought interesting; what if M & M lived together and then Michael realized he couldn’t love Maria like she deserved, but it was too late--he’d already given a permanent piece of himself to her.
Category:  Michael/Maria

Part One

M&M, Michael and Maria, that’s who they had been, all through high school and even afterwards.  After graduation they went on with Michael taking night classes in art and working during the day, and with Maria finding herself in school while working nights as a waitress.  They had found this little apartment with a few problems, but they had made it their home.  Or, at least that’s what Maria had thought.

Five years, they had lived there.  It wasn’t until after they had graduated from college that the problems had started.  It was then that Michael became restless.  It was then that he had told Maria that he could never love her like she deserved to be loved.  It was then that her beautiful, fragile heart had broken.

At first, she couldn’t believe it.  Michael had become her life, and to live without him was nothing.  Her future was blank, an endless expanse.  Maria took her belongings and left Roswell, never turning back. She settled in California, on the waterfront.  It was hard; she missed life in Roswell.  She missed how it was to be with her friends and family.  She called her mother every Sunday to let her know that she was doing fine.

A month after the move, Maria began getting sick in the mornings.  It seemed Michael hadn’t left her at all; in pushing her away, he had deeply buried himself within her.  Maria was in a new town, leading a new life, as well as carrying a new life within herself.  Life was just beginning.

Maria gave birth to her joy seven months later, on a dark, stormy day.  She was the most beautiful baby that Maria had ever seen.  She had the tiniest hands and feet, a soft patch of strawberry-gold curls on the top of her head, and bright, dancing eyes.  Maria held her hand around her daughter’s and cried for the father her daughter would never know.  She named her Sky Michaela-Elizabeth DeLuca.  Elizabeth for Lizzy.  Michaela for Michael.  And Sky, Sky was for that wonderful vast space that had brought her love, whom had given her joy. 

Sky grew up to be a beauty.  She had most of her mother’s looks. She had her arched eyebrows, her rich full lips, and she had a button of a nose.  Her hair was a vivid golden-auburn, and it hung in soft curls to her waist.  Her eyes were a fiery liquid-brown;  they were her father’s eyes.

As a small child, Sky would have nightmares about a strange place where war dominated.  And sometimes, she would simply dream of the stars.  She grew up watching the other children play softball at the father-daughter games, and wanted that too.  It hurt her not to know what it felt like to be wrapped in the warmth of a fathers embrace, but that was a secret that she learned to keep hidden. 

After Maria had left, Michael had been lost.  He had loved Maria, but because of who he was, he had never been able to give into the security of her love. He had always felt so on guard.  He figured with him out of the picture, she could be free.  He had thought that she would never understand that she owned a piece of him for eternity.

It was in Isabel that Michael sought comfort. They had the same destiny.  A year after Maria had gone, Michael and Isabel were lovers.  Two years later, they were married, and almost a year after that, their son Jace Maxwell Guerin was born. 

Eleven Years Later...

“Man! You’d think people couldn’t be any more pathetic!” Sky DeLuca raved at her best friend Lennie, short for Caroline. She was greatly disturbed by the work of art that her little, red jetta had become (hey, some things never change). There was toilet paper strewn everywhere.  “Sky, you know they’re just getting you back for that stunt you pulled at Cole Wade’s party last weekend,” Lennie replied to her life-long friend. “I know,” Sky answered, “But still, toilet paper?  How original is that one?”  With that they were off to work.  They both had applied as waitresses at a local diner, The Red Roof.  Fortunately, they had both been hired.

“So,” Lennie said as they stood adjusting their uniforms in the girls restroom, “what are your plans for this weekend Sky?”  Turning to face Lennie, Sky answered, “I don’t know.  Maybe do our usual get together tomorrow night, and I thought I might spend a little down time with Mom on Sunday.  She’s been a little distant lately.”  “Yeah, I know what you mean,” Lennie replied, “But you are truly lucky Sky, not many people get a mom as terrific as yours.  Even though my mom didn’t live to see me grow up, I feel blessed to have your mother to call mom.”  “Okay, let’s hit the floor,” Sky gestured towards the door, after nodding in agreement to Lennie’s remark. 

The hours flew by as the girls were kept busy by the many Friday night customers.  It was nearing ten o’clock and business had slowed down quite a bit.  They were open for another hour, and there were only about four tables left.  “Hey Sky,” Sam, another waitress, spotted her and said, “You just got a table in section-B, four of them.”  Sky picked up four menus and headed for the table.

From the looks of it, there were two couples.  A handsome, serious-faced man with dark, good looks, and with him was a pretty woman with equally dark, good looks.  She had a sweet smile.  On the other side of the table was a roughly handsome man with an edge of the streets.  Holding his right hand was a breathtaking, blonde bombshell.  She looked like one of those models on TV.

Sky approached them and said, “Welcome to The Red Roof.  My name is Sky, and I’ll be serving you tonight.  Here are your menus.  I’ll give you some time to look, and I’ll be back in a few.”  Sky handed them the menus and went to get them some glasses of water.  She got the water and returned to the table.  After she had set their glasses on the table, she asked, “May I get you anything to drink?”  The dark woman asked for an iced tea, the blonde asked for an extra sweet lemonade, and the two men asked for cherry-coke.  When she returned with their drinks they were ready to order.  As she was leaving with their orders, the rough-looking man asked if she could bring them a bottle of Tabasco sauce with their meals.  For a moment, Sky stared in wonder, and then she nodded her head in reply.  It must only be a fluke? Right?

After eating their dinners, Sky’s table wanted dessert.  They asked her what was best.  Sky replied, “Well, the devil-dog cake is excellent for chocolate lovers, then there’s the turtle cake all’a mode, hot apple pie with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, and there’s always yummy bread pudding.”  The dark man looked up at her and said, “You’re making my mouth water just describing all of those!”  They chose their desserts and resumed talking.  Sky brought them their desserts and started to turn away, but the dark man again spoke, “Seeing as we’re about the last table, do you think your boss would mind if we ask you some questions about the town.  See we’re on vacation, and seeing as you’re a local, I wondered if you could help us out?”  Sky, knowing that the manager was already gone and that it was just Lennie and her, grabbed a chair and sat down next to them.  “Ask away,” She stated.  They asked her where they should visit and what to watch out for, and she told them.  The dark woman soon held out her hand to Sky and said, “This hunk I’m with is Max, and my name is Liz.  I’m glad we’ve made a friend here.”  Sky smiled back, “You know I’m really glad too.  I don’t know when I’ve enjoyed work on a Friday night as much as I have tonight!  And you know what else is kinda neat?  One of my middle names is Elizabeth.  Mom had this really great best friend named Liz, so she wanted to remember her by giving me her name.”

“Wow,” Liz replied, “That is neat!  And you have two middle names?”  “Yeah,” Sky answered, “The other is Michaela, Sky Michaela-Elizabeth.  Michaela is for my father.  I’ve never met him.  His name is Michael.”  At that, the rough-looking man looked up, and everyone else did as well.  Sky didn’t notice, and she went on, “Something else has been bothering me all night, you asked me for a bottle of Tabasco, and I saw that you used some on your desserts.  I’m the only person who I’ve ever known to do that.”  Sky looked towards the rough-looking man.  The blonde woman looked up at Sky and noted the similarities between Sky and another girl, a girl who had been gone for years now, a girl who had given her everything.  Then the blonde woman asked, “What’s your full name Sky?”  Sky looked at the woman a little oddly, but replied, “Sky Michaela-Elizabeth DeLuca......why?”  “Because,” The blonde woman stated, “My name is Isabel, and this is my husband, Mr. Guerin, Mr. Michael Guerin.”

TBC...... 

Continue to Part Two